Recreational utility vehicles (RUVs) generally have an open cockpit area with side-by-side seating. They are often referred to as side-by-side All-Terrain Vehicles (ATVs).
The open cockpit area is protected by a roll cage disposed above the cockpit area. The driver and the passenger enter and exit (ingress and egress) the vehicle through lateral passages, as is traditionally done on automobiles.
As is the case of most off-road vehicles, RUVs are typically powered by an internal combustion engine. Therefore, these RUVs typically consume petroleum based fuels and emit exhaust gases such as carbon dioxide and nitrous oxides. These gases are known to contribute to the greenhouse effect.
In recent years, the efficiency of internal combustion engines has improved resulting in less fuel consumption and lower emissions of greenhouse gases.
It is also possible to completely eliminate fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions by replacing the internal combustion engine by an electric motor. An increased number of automobiles are now powered by one or more electric motors.
However, the systems developed for the automobile industry cannot be directly applied to RUVs. RUVs are designed to operate off-road, which means that they are more exposed to dirt, mud, and water than automobiles. The vehicle layout of an RUV is also different than that of an automobile. Finally, the performance and operating expectations of owners of RUVs differ from those of an automobile. Owners of electric automobiles typically give a lot of importance to the vehicle's efficiency in order to have the maximum range of operation and give less importance to factors such as maximum speed, handling and acceleration. Although vehicle range would also likely be of concern to owners of electric RUVs, they also have high expectations regarding aspects such as maximum speed, handling and acceleration. In other words, an electric RUV should be true to its “recreational” nature.
Therefore, there is a need for an RUV powered by an electric motor.